On one hand, what San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did Thursday is completely understandable.

Popovich's team has had an almost ridiculously difficult opening schedule, having embarked on a four-game trip early in the month and wrapping up now with a six-game junket through the Eastern Conference.

Wednesday in Orlando, Popovich said his players were tired. So instead of going through with the end of the trip in Miami on Thursday, Popovich sent Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green home early. They'll get an extra day of rest ahead of the team's next game, on Saturday.

Sure, that left the Spurs with nine active players for their 105-100 loss to the defending champion Miami Heat, but the Spurs had gotten off to a good start on the trip, winning their first five games (before the loss to Miami).

Thursday evening, the NBA released an ominous statement from commissioner David Stern: "I apologize to all NBA fans. This was an unacceptable decision by the San Antonio Spurs and substantial sanctions will be forthcoming."

By Thursday night, after a game that the Spurs led late but ultimately lost, Popovich said he was unaware of Stern's words.

Everyone can use a mental health day, and most of the American workforce gets to take personal time now and then. Thursday's game is one of 82, after all.

But really, that's the problem with what Popovich pulled.

The game against the Heat is one of just 82—when members of the Spurs sign up to play NBA basketball, the understanding is that their contracts cover 82 games of work. It is those 82 games that fans pay a lot of money to see.

It is the best of those 82 games that the networks fork over $4.6 billion over six years to televise. That ticket-and-television payout, remember, is the revenue that affords star players Duncan, Ginobili and Parker their robust salaries and allows Popovich the millions he has been paid over his coaching career.

By sending his best players home because they are tired, Popovich snubbed his nose at all those people who shell out all that money because of their interest in pro basketball.

Folks in Miami who paid to watch the Heat play the Spurs—not the Spurs' B team—have a right to be ticked off. The folks at TNT have the right to be ticked off.

For all the hand-wringing we saw last year about teams tanking games in order to better their lottery positions, there should be indignity over the Spurs tanking this one.

Those of us in the media, of course, are accustomed to Popovich's haughtiness, his disdain for us commoners. We understand that is part of the gig, and very often, we write off Popovich's curmudgeonly outlook as part of his gruff charm.

But this decision goes beyond the wrinkled masses of the fourth estate. This is a maneuver that should concern fans in general. If you buy a ticket for a game in mid-April, you can reasonably assume a playoff-bound team might rest players. But to send home four starters in late November is something different.

It shows an utter disdain for fans.

Yes, it is one of 82 games on their schedule and over the course of the season, the Spurs can probably afford a loss. But these guys are professionals.

There are 365 days in a year, and all NBA teams and their players really must do is show up and play basketball for 48 minutes per night, on 22 percent of the nights in a year.

Fans pay them millions to do that. To tell players not even to show up on one of those nights is a step too far.